


Misunderstandings

by The_Disaster_Tiefling



Series: Crinktober [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Abandonment, Apologies, Arguing, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Forgiveness, Friendship/Love, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Memories, Misunderstandings, Self-Doubt, Team as Family, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2019-07-24 18:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16180760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Disaster_Tiefling/pseuds/The_Disaster_Tiefling
Summary: A prank results in angry words and misunderstandings, dredging up old doubts and fears that threaten to consume Vax when he falls into dangerous hands.





	1. Chapter 1

    Vax groaned as he was yanked back to his feet, feeling the world spin in dizzying arcs as he was shoved back against a hard surface, rattling his already aching head off what he belatedly realised must be a wall. The urge to throw up was growing, especially as rough fingers bit into his arms, pulling on his injured shoulder and sending pain lancing through it. If it wasn’t already dislocated, it was going to be soon if this treatment continued and he swallowed – he was unarmed, unable to see straight and his earring had been torn out cutting him from the others. He’d fought under those conditions before though, however, losing the use of his shoulder and arm would be a handicap too far, and apparently, his captors had realised that too because there was a momentary pause before someone barked a command.

    The exact words were lost on him, as at the same moment his arm was twisted and wrenched to the side, and the world faded to white. Someone was howling, a broken, anguished sound, and it was only when flashes of colour began to reappear in his vision that he realised that the noise was coming from him. As soon as the realisation hit him, he bit down, tasting copper as he broke his bottom lip, but the horrible sound cut off and he slumped, chest heaving as he fought to claw through the waves of pain still washing over him. _It hurts._ He wanted to curl up and hide from the world, hide from the burning pain in his shoulder, the fierce sting of his other wounds and beneath it all the deep, lingering agony of knowing that he had brought this situation down on his own head…and that this time no one would be coming for him.

_Useless,_ his father’s emotionless voice echoed through his mind, and he could almost feel the icy eyes roving over him as he fought to regain some composure.

_Unwanted,_ another voice whispered as another cry was wrestled from bloody lips as his arms were lifted above his head. The cry became a shriek as they were fixed in place, metal biting into the flesh of his wrists a moment before he was released. The world disappearing in a sickening swirl of colours as he realised a split second too late that his toes were barely touching the ground, leaving all his weight to fall on his shoulders.

    He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but he doubted it had been very long because the fire was still blazing in his shoulder and dampness on his cheeks that spoke of fresh tears.

"...sure he's part of Vox Machina?"It took a moment for the hushed voices to break through the haze that had settled over his thoughts. When the words registered, he was hit with a twisted pang of grief and regret, which he masked with a harsh bark of laughter that had fresh blood speckling his lips.

"I was." He almost didn't recognise his own voice, hoarse from screaming and raw with emotions that he wasn't ready to put a name to.

   Still, it had been enough to draw all attention back to him, and he found himself recoiling as the one who had given the orders earlier stepped into his space. The grin on the man's face was anything but friendly, and Vax was helpless to do anything as he reached up and pinched the tip of one pointed ear. He might as well be holding a brand to the sensitive appendage, forcing a whimper from the half-elf before Vax gathered himself, baring his teeth in a bloody snarl. "M-motherfucker..."

"He's one of them alright."

   Vax was vaguely aware of the anticipation that filled the room, and the excited whispers. Some distant part of him realising that he was a hostage and that they were expecting a large payout and he huffed a laugh, that sounded more like a broken sob as he realised that wasn't going to happen.

_It had been an innocent prank, something to cut through the sombre silence that had overtaken the keep for the last few days. In retrospect, VAX could admit that a lot of it had stemmed from boredom and loneliness... It was better to be noticed and yelled at than to disappear unseen, or so he'd thought._

_Perhaps it had been his choice of target - Percy had always been the least appreciative of his pranks, which meant that his sister was too. Or maybe he had underestimated the unspoken tensions in the air. Either way, what should've been a simple sleight of hand to rearrange the workstation, had become a one-sided shouting match when Percy caught him and bore down on him with righteous fury._

_It wasn't being caught._

_It wasn't even the anger, although there had been a note of emotion in Percy's voice that he hadn't understood._

_No, it had been the quiet, 'Get Out’, totally devoid of emotion that had brought him up short. If it had been loud and angry, he could've brushed it off, but there was something about the quietness that had felt like a gut punch, stealing his air. It had disappeared entirely when he'd turned to find Vex in the doorway, blank mask firmly in place as she stepped aside and gestured to him._

_"I think you should leave." No 'brother', no wry twist of her lips to show that she was privately amused by his antics, and no dramatic sighs as she warned him to flee from retribution he had earned this time. It had been when her gaze had moved beyond him, dismissing him and focusing on Percy behind him that he realised that the battle lines had been drawn…and that he was alone on his side._

_He’d fled then, not arguing, not saying a word as he heard the door closing behind him, but not quickly enough to cut off Percy’s next words._

_“I know he’s your brother, but…”_

     Vax blinked, glad for the pain now as it gave him an explanation for the fresh sting in his eyes. It didn’t help him hide from the fact that he was on his own right now, that in his hurry to get out of the keep, to flee the feeling of not being wanted, he had walked straight into a trap. Most of his weapons had been back in the keep, a sign that he had finally felt safe and wanted enough to leave them in his room, and distracted, his attempt to escape had been thwarted at every turn and now here he was.

Imprisoned.

Injured.

Alone.

   His laughter and distraction hadn’t gone unnoticed, and he was forced to focus on the present as he took a sharp blow to the face, forcing his head to the side and yanking on both his shoulder and the ear still trapped in his captor’s grip. It hurt, but this time he was able to stifle the cry, vision blurring as he bit through his lip again. However, he wasn’t given a chance to recover as his ear was twisted sharply, lighting every nerve end on fire, before his chin was taken in a bruising grip and his head was forced upwards until he met the man’s eyes. He felt a flicker of fear then because the gaze was calm, curious even, no sign of nervousness at having Vax in his hands and the trouble that could have caused if Vax hadn’t fucked up, no anger at the disregard the Half-Elf was showing his situation. Vax had seen expressions like that before, and a chill crept over his skin because those were the people that were the hardest to dance around with sly words and a bit of luck – and those were the only weapons he had left right now.

“I’m curious as to what is amusing you, Vax’ildan?” The question was punctuated by a sharp tug, pulling him downwards and leaving his vision white as his shoulder bore the brunt of his weight, and he was certain that his lip wasn’t going to recover as he forced back a shout. “I would have thought even you’d be willing to play along until help came, or perhaps you need a little more incentive to behave.” The hand finally abandoned his tormented ear, but there was no relief, just as there was no holding back his howl as fingers pressed into his distorted shoulder.

_Useless. Get out. Unwanted. Useless. Get out. Unwanted._

    The unwelcome words remained even in the grey haze that had settled over his mind, and as much as he hated it, he latched onto them, using them to cling to consciousness. At least one of them knew who he was, the use of his full name told him that much and somewhere in the back of his mind he realised that they must’ve been waiting, seeing who would fall into their clutches and there was a momentary relief that he was the one who had stumbled into it. _Useless. Unwanted._ He blinked, forcing the haze away, and tilting his head towards his tormenter, trying not to focus on the way his stomach lurched as he saw two of him.

“That h-hurt,” he managed to force out between gritted teeth, before spitting a mouthful of blood at his tormenter. “But I’ve had worse.” There was another voice, one that sounded suspiciously like his sister that was calling him ten kinds of idiot for trying to rile them up, especially as he spied the wicked expression that greeted his words.

“We’ve got plenty of time before help arrives.” The fingers were back, trailing over his shoulder, not enough to cause pain, but the promise of it was enough to make Vax’s skin crawl, and he was sure that it must show in his expression. “I’m sure I could change your mind.”

“That’s the funniest thing,” Vax managed to drawl. “Because they won’t come for me.” The words hurt, and not just because they tugged on his injured lip, but he was quick to bury the emotion, hiding it behind a smirk as he saw them exchanging glances as sudden doubt took hold. His tormenter saw it too, and finally, there was a break in the mask, a flicker of fury that had dread of a different sort pooling in the pit of Vax’s stomach, and he tried to lean away, already knowing he had nowhere to go as the fingers bit into his shoulder once more.

“You better hope for your sake that they do.” It was a low growl in his throbbing ear, and then he was screaming as his shoulder was wrenched violently to the side and this time, the world faded from white to black, the burning pain following him down into the darkness until it consumed him.

****

     Vex frowned as her knock went unanswered, going perfectly still as she strained to hear any movement from within her brother’s room, although if he really put his mind to it, she knew that he could avoid even her best efforts to find him. However, he rarely if ever ignored her, and the dull clunk of Trinket’s armour as he trailed after her would have been enough to tell Vax who was outside his door.

“Vax open this door!” She called as she knocked again, allowing some of her earlier irritation to bleed into her voice even though she didn’t mean to, and this time she was unsurprised by the lack of response. She hadn’t been blind to the way Vax’s expression had fallen under the onslaught of Percy’s anger earlier, or how he had seemed to retreat in on himself when he had been told to leave. It was guilt over the fact that she hadn’t said anything that had led her here when it became clear that he wasn’t going to reappear on his own. “Vax! Brother…I’m sorry for earlier. It’s just you scared us…”

    At first, when she had heard Percy’s voice raised in a rare show of genuine anger, she had just thought that her brother had pushed a little too far. It didn’t happen that often anymore, but there were times when he playfulness would still clash with her partner’s more serious side, and she’d headed towards the commotion to head off the confrontation before it escalated.

    However, it hadn’t taken her long to realise that Vax’s latest ‘prank’ had involved moving around the volatile materials on Percy’s workbench and that it was fear she could hear in Percy’s voice – fear for her brother. It had stopped her from intervening when he had told Vax to leave, and why she had backed the request, noting the tremor in Percy’s hands that came from the possibility of losing another family member and feeling an answering quake in her own heart. Unable to forget the incident months ago when an exhausted Percy had managed to accidentally blast himself into the wall when tinkering – that had been bad enough, and he’d at least had some idea of what he was doing. Vax…Vax didn’t have that knowledge, and the thought of her brother killing himself for the sake of an idiotic prank had her heart constricting painfully.

“Vax!” She called again, and this time when there was no reply she tried the door, startled to find it unlocked. Another sign of how far her wary brother had come to adapting to this makeshift family of theirs, and there was a slight smile on her lips as she pushed it open and stepped inside. “Vax why are you…?” Trinket made a mournful noise behind her as she trailed off, realising that the room beyond was empty.  That alone was more irritating than worrying, at least until she noted the belt hung at the end of his bed, daggers resting in their sheaths, and she felt the first stirrings of doubt. It wouldn’t be the first time he had just walked away from an argument, but to go off without all his weapons – and she swallowed as she reached for her earring.  “Vax, where are you?”

    Other voices chimed in as they caught the worry in her voice, but she as deaf to them as she listened for the one voice that she wanted, expression darkening as the seconds ticked by into minutes with no word from Vax. “Vax, this isn’t the time to be a stubborn fool,” she growled, adopting the steely tone that had always made him cave in the past on the rare occasions that he had made her truly angry, and yet silence greeted her demand.

_Vax…_

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Vax was missing._

   The realisation had sunk in when her demands for an answer had gone unanswered, but she hadn’t allowed herself to believe it. Vax always came back. He always answered her. It was only now, hours later when they had searched every inch of the Keep with no sign of her wayward brother and reached out to the few places that he was known to retreat to when they argued, that she could feel the truth of it settling around her shoulders like a heavy mantle. The final blow had been when Gilmore had sent word that he hadn’t seen Vax since their last shopping trip, the messenger having barely finishing speaking before she felt her legs beginning to give way and she didn’t fight as Percy caught her, guiding her down onto the couch.

“Where is he?” She almost didn’t recognise her own voice, unsurprised when she felt the weight of Trinket’s nose against her shoulder.  “Where is my brother?” There was no response from her friends, not that she had been expecting one, and yet the silence hurt, and her next words came out on the swell of a sob.  “This is my fault.”

“Vex…”

“I was going to apologise to him you know,” she whispered looking up at Percy and wishing she hadn’t as she saw the fear in his eyes. The same fear that had fuelled his angry words earlier – only this ran deeper because at least earlier he had been able to stop Vax. He had been able to protect him. Whereas now they had no idea what had happened to him, or if he was even… her mind veered away from that thought, a shiver wracking her. She was barely able to acknowledge the fact that he was missing, she couldn’t think about anything worse, but she couldn’t stop her fingers returning to her earring, tugging on it harder than necessary. “Vax, please… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She was vaguely aware of Percy mimicking her, and of the rest of their makeshift family asking what was going on and what they were apologising for, but their voices washed over her, their words lost as she strained to hear her brother’s voice.

_Vax…where are you?_

****

_Useless. Get out. Unwanted…_

    The words had returned with the first drifting brushes of consciousness, and he’d tried to slip under once more, to lose himself in the shadows he could feel circling around him. To hide away from the truth – he was good at that after all. As though to spite him though, his mind clung to the words, to the thread leading him back to consciousness.

Leading him back to pain.

     It washed over him like a cresting wave, stealing his breath, and for a moment he thought he would be swept back under by the sheer intensity of it. He wished that he was. Instead, he found himself gasping for air, a low whine, the only noise he was capable of with the rawness in the back of his throat escaping. _Stubby, it hurts…_ Blindly, forgetting for a moment where he was and why he was here, he shifted, reaching out for the warmth that was always close by when he was injured, for the hand that always rose to meet his half way. A harsh, broken noise that was a raw imitation of a scream was torn from his lips as his movement was aborted with the clank of metal, but both sounds were lost in the white haze that settled over his mind, fire and lighting ripping through his shoulder and he gagged as nausea swelled.

_Useless._

    He swallowed, even that tiny motion sending pain lancing through his body, but this time he held back any noise. Memory was trickling back to him now, almost as painful as the physical wounds on his body, and his eyes burned as he finally forced himself to open them. Only to flinch back as he found himself staring directly into the same calm eyes as yesterday, fear pooling in the pit of his stomach as he realised that he hadn’t had any idea that he wasn’t alone. Fear turning to icy terror as he watched the slow smirk spreading across his captor’s face, and for the briefest moment, he let himself forget the murmuring mantra in the back of his mind as he closed his eyes, hiding from what was coming as he reached out to his sister with his thoughts.

_Vex, I think I’m really in trouble this time._

   The first blow had been as unexpected as it was expected, tearing a muffled cry from him as he bit down on his lip, forgetting the damage that he had already inflicted on it, and he choked as blood filled his mouth. His shoulder was never going to recover from this, he thought dizzily, distantly aware that it wasn’t hurting as much as it should as he ricocheted off the wall behind him, mouth opening and shutting, as he tried to catch his breath, feeling blood trickling down his chin.

    He wasn’t given a chance to recover, as more blows rained down on him – and it wasn’t long before he was lost completely in a haze of throbbing pain once more, and yet some part of him remained aware of the fact that there was no wildness to the attacks. Each blow was measured, judged to cause maximum pain without killing him, and the terror deepened as he realised there would be no swift escape from this hell.

****

    Vex had taken refuge in her brother’s room. Between them, she and Percy had explained to the others what had happened that morning, guilt building with each word that was spoken, even though no one had disagreed that Vax had been reckless. There had been no words of blame, even Scanlan had been surprisingly quiet, but she could feel it, a weight in the silence that had followed their explanation and in Keyleth’s cautious question when the druid had finally stepped in to break the awkward quiet.

“Are we sure that he’s not just avoiding us?” Bless Keyleth for trying to be gentle, saying ‘us’ and not ‘you’, and Vex had wished that she could have seized the rope that was being dangled in front of her, that she could have said ‘ _no, I’m not sure.’_ Because then she could have clung to the hope that Vax was just being a stubborn bastard, and that he would be home, safe and well before she could blink.

But she knew her brother.

    It wasn’t the first time they had argued, nor would it be the last. Nor was it the first time that her choice of words would have cut a little close to home, one of the few curses of being so close was that you knew just how to hurt each other. However, no matter how harsh she had been, he had rarely left without leaving some hint as to where he was going or when he would be back, and he had never refused to answer her calls. And she couldn’t or wouldn’t believe that had changed – not when they had all grown so much closer, becoming the family they hadn’t had since their early childhood with their mother.

   Which meant that something had happened, that something or someone was stopping him from answering and keeping him from coming home.

“Trinket,” she spoke for the first time since she’d escaped up here, unable to bear listening to the others planning how to search for her brother. Approaching his disappearance as though it was the latest job, even though she knew that they were just as worried as she was, hearing it the terse voices, the sharp rejection of ideas…the quiet, _what if we’re too late,_ that no one had been quite bold enough to voice. Now she got to her feet, glancing at her loyal companion who had barely strayed more than a few feet from her since they’d first realised Vax was missing, the lost expression in his eyes, telling her that she felt her brother’s absence as keenly as she did. “We’re going to find him.” She ruthlessly quelled the flicker of doubt, the small voice that flared up at the back of her mind, mocking her that it was too late.

It wasn’t.

   She wouldn’t accept anything less than finding her brother and bringing him home. Alive. Bloodied and bruised maybe, she was used to that, remembering the nights when he had fled the city, coming to find her in the woods after a job gone wrong or an argument that had resulted in a fight. Injuries, no matter how serious could be mended – they were all living proof of that, and once she had him home, she could fix whatever wounds she had inflicted with her words. She reached for her earring once more, not caring that the others would hear, not sure that her brother could even hear her, but needing to try. “Do you hear that Vax, I’m going to find you and bring you home, kicking and screaming if I have too.”

    Silence greeted her words, and she felt the doubt bubbling up once more, but before she could lose herself in it, Trinket was there nudging at her hand with a low rumbling growl, and she managed a weak smile for him as she caressed his snout. “Let’s bring him home.” The low rumbling became a roar as Trinket lifted his head, adding his determination to her own and she found herself clinging to that noise as they headed for the door, the doubts lurking, waiting for another moment of weakness and her fingers found their way into russet fur as Trinket pressed close.

_Please, let us bring him home._

****

    Vax had no idea when his tormentor had left, having lost consciousness between one blow and the next, overwhelmed by the agony burning through every inch of his body. It had been a surprise to struggle back to consciousness and find himself alone. Not that it had helped him. As soon as he’d realised that he was alone, he’d tried to move, to look up at the chains holding him in place – the pain had nearly sent him spiralling back down into unconsciousness, and he wished that it had when he’d managed to glimpse his hands. The slender fingers which had always danced with his daggers that Gilmore had once spent long hours worshipping were now a mangled ruin of their former self, pale skin painted crimson – but more worrying was the numbness, the delay as he tried to wiggle them, a whine bubbling up with fresh blood as he instantly regretted the movement.

They were taking away his weapons.

     At any other time, he might have at least felt a spark of satisfaction at the tacit acknowledgement of his skills – of the danger he posed. But with Vex and Percy’s anger still so close, and the mantra rising from a murmur to a scream in the back of his mind, it felt like another blow, another acknowledgement of his weakness. Of his failure.

_Useless._

    So, he did what he always did when his emotions got too much for him to manage, he deflected, forcing his eyes open and twisting his lips into a weak approximation of a smirk. “Finally figured out they’re not coming for me then?” He called out into the empty room. The words hurt, both physically and emotionally, and it took every shred of strength he had to crumple under the force of his own words.

  He wasn’t really expecting a response. Hell, if he was being honest he had been hoping for none, because as long as he was alone he wasn’t being hurt and his heart sank when rather than silence, his words were greeted by a familiar voice ringing out as part of the opposite wall, opened to reveal a doorway and his tormentor. The sinking sensation deepening as he realised that rather than the laughter or mocking he might have expected, or even the anger that had terrified him before, he was met by a knowing look that had ice creeping down his spine.

“You know this is quite an interesting toy.” It took Vax a moment to focus and to realise what the man was holding, breath catching as he spotted the familiar earring dangling between his fingers, still stained with his blood from where it had been ripped out. _No._ The earrings had been designed so that they couldn’t be used to track the others, so at least he knew he wasn’t going to lead his captors straight to his family…to their door. But the defences that would protect their conversations wouldn’t be active, because it had been stolen from his ear, rather than removed willingly, and bile rose at the thought of what this man might have heard.

“Leave them alone,” the words were out before he had even realised what he was doing, and for a moment even the mantra in the back of his mind was silent. He had to protect them. It didn’t change what had happened, that he wasn’t wanted… he wouldn’t be the one who got them into this mess.

“It seems as though I won’t have to worry about that.” Again there was no laughter, even though his threat carried as much weight as a goblin threatening a manticore at the moment, but there was was a note of mocking in the words that had been missing before and Vax found himself shrinking back against the wall.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard all sorts of interesting things through this,” he was inside the room now, and Vax caught a brief glimpse of the room beyond, just enough to tell him that wherever they were holding him was deep inside…and that he was vastly outnumbered even if he did manage to slip his restraints, but then the door creaked shut, leaving him trapped with his captor who was pacing towards him, a predator intent on the kill. “It makes me wonder how they’d feel if they knew that you’d let it fall into our hands.”

_Useless. Unwanted. Get out._

“Not that it really matters.” There was a bite of anger now too, and then he was right in front of Vax who couldn’t hide his flinch or the pain that flashed across his face as the movement jostled every inch of his body. Fingers bit into his chin, the fresh pain giving him something to focus on, although he wished that it hadn’t as it meant that he had no escape from the next words. “It seems you were more honest than I thought yesterday, which is unfortunate really.”

“What…?” _Don’t say it, I don’t want to hear it…I…_ He had known it was a lost cause from the moment he asked, but it didn’t make it any easier to finally glimpse the mocking that he had been expecting from the start.

“It seems you were right and they have no intention of coming for you.”

“No…” The denial was weak to his own ears, the protest escaping half-formed and he didn’t need the mocking gaze boring into his to know that his tormenter hadn’t believed his act, and he had to look away. He’d known. Hell, he had been the one to tell them that his family…that Vox Machina wouldn’t come for him this time. _Useless. Unwanted. Get out. Useless…_ He’d known that from the start…

_So why does it hurt so much…?_


	3. Chapter 3

    Vax found himself caught in a pain-filled limbo, because while he wanted nothing more than to pass out to escape the agony that was his existence at the moment, but the pain itself kept him from passing out. Little splintering flashes of lightning through every inch of his body greeting each ragged breath. Something had broken under the last beating, the one that had followed the words that he now realised he had been woefully unprepared to hear, despite his claims to the contrary. ‘ _It seems you were right, and they have no intention of coming for you’_ , even now the words rattled around his mind, breaking up the mantra of _Get out. Useless. Unwanted,_ and cut far deeper than any of the physical wounds that had been inflicted.

    Worse was the uncertainty that gripped him now that he had been left alone once more. If he wasn’t wanted if he wasn’t going to be rescued, and no ransom was going to be paid, then why was he still alive? Between his time in the city honing his rogue skills, and his experience with groups such as the Clasp,  he knew that groups like this wouldn’t hold onto dead weight, which meant that they had to be holding onto him for some reason.

_But what?_

    If he’d had any doubts about his worth compared to the rest of Vox Machina before, they now howled in his mind, especially when an unfortunate twitch ignited a sickening fire in his shoulder. The arm was mostly numb now, something that even he knew was a bad sign, and he wondered if even Pike’s magic would be enough to heal it at this point, or if she would even want to.

_So, why am I still alive?_

  Although, maybe he already had his answer he thought as his head fell forward to rest against his chin, the bruises on his chin throbbing at the contact. His tormentor had been angry during that last beating, but there had been satisfaction, and something approaching pleasure at seeing the pain he was causing, and Vax swallowed nervously. _Please, no more,_ he thought. Not that he would have a choice he thought, tugging lightly on the restraints holding him in place, and immediately remembering why that was a bad idea as something twisted and wrenched in his injured shoulder. Tears clouded his vision, and if he’d had the voice left to do so, he would have screamed. Instead, a gurgling whimper, that left that the unpleasant tang of copper on his tongue was all that slipped out, the world whited out for a moment, and in that instance something that he hadn’t even been aware that he was clinging to shattered and broke.  

_Please…no more…_

   If his sister had been stood in front of him. Hell, if any of Vox Machina had been there right now, he knew that he would have broken right there and then, pleading like a baby for their help. It didn’t matter what they thought about him, or that they had apparently given up on him. He could live with that, it wasn’t as though it was unexpected, even though apparently it had been – because he’d thought he’d been ready for it, but he’d been wrong. But he could live with that, he could bear being on his own, but not like this…

“Please…” The word slipped out before he could stop it, and he wasn’t sure who he was begging or what he was asking for, the word a broken croak that was lost in the silence of the room. But it was like a floodgate was opening, and maybe because he was alone and there was no one to see how far he had fallen, he let it, his head falling against his chest, as tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks. He was pleading now, tiny, breathless whispers that soon trailed off into whimpering sobs, as each one wracked his battered body, until everything disintegrated into white noise and all he had left was a desperate plea that he couldn’t even put into words anymore.

_Vex, I’m so sorry…_

_Please, I want to come home now._

****

     It was as though her brother had disappeared off the face of Exandria, Vex thought as she paused for a moment under the shelter of the tree, ignoring the worried glances that Trinket was drawing as he lumbered after her. The townspeople were getting used to him, and she supposed it was more the fact that he was currently fully armoured, and that she was openly carrying her weapons that was making them nervous. She didn’t care. Not when despite spending hours searching, and her resolve and promise, there was still no sign of her brother, not even a whisper or clue as to where he had gone after leaving the keep, let alone beyond that. As though he had just vanished from existence. And maybe he had, because around her life continued as normal, the market bustling like usual, people shouting about their wares, and trying to haggle down prices, as children and animals darted in and out of the chaos, and she hated it.

    She hated that it felt like there was a gaping hole in her world, an emptiness that had crept under her skin from the moment she had realised he was missing, while it seemed as though his disappearance hadn’t had any effect on the world around them. She knew that wasn’t technically true, and that even as she hunted for him, the rest of Vox Machina, and those they counted as friends and allies were searching for her brother, but right now, with her hand on Trinket’s head as he made a mournful noise, it felt as though she was alone.

_Vax…_

   There had been occasions when she had felt like this when they had separated for a time to hone their skills, missing his company as she wandered through the forests, learning to hunt and track. But she had always known roughly where he was, and that if she needed him that he would be there, that he would come for her. This was different because that certainty wasn’t there, and worst she wasn’t sure if it was by choice, because of her and Percy’s actions, or because he didn’t have a choice in the matter – both of which terrified her because either way it meant that he was hurting. That he needed her, and she couldn’t find him.

“Vex…” She whirled at the sudden voice, one hand darting to her bow, even as there was a fleeting, flicker of hope that took her breath away before she realised that she knew the voice even as her gaze settled on Scanlan who had just emerged from the crowds. She glanced behind him, still half hoping to see her brother trailing after him, but he was alone, and she couldn’t quite keep the desperation out of her voice as she demanded.

“Anything?”

“I would’ve said if there was,” Scanlan pointed out, tugging on the earring and she scowled and glanced away, knowing that he was correct, and hating it. It also reminded her painfully that there had still been no answer from Vax, even though they had all tried reaching out to him now, and they had even leant one to Gilmore in the hopes that would encourage her brother to answer, but nothing. “No, the others sent me to check on you. You’ve been out here for hours, and…”

“I have to find him.”

“Vex…”

“Vax is gone, he’s just disappeared off the face of the planet, and you want me to what? Rest? Try and forget that he’s not here.” _Try to forget there is a hole in my heart right now?_ She didn’t say that last bit aloud, knowing that it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t understand what it was like to have a twin, and for them for him to not be there, although it had taken her a long time to see that. There was enough of a bite in her voice as it was, and to his credit Scanlan didn’t flinch, sighing as he glanced out across the marketplace.

 

“That is kind of what he does,” Scanlan replied finally, and Vex’s hand tightened on her bow for a moment, before she saw the fear behind his usual grin, the forced humour rather than honest amusement and she forced herself to loosen her grip as she shook her head.

“Not like this.”

“No, not like this,” he admitted with a sigh, grin fading. As reckless as Vax could be, and as much as he tended to avoid situations like this, he had never gone out of his way to deliberately worry them. Still, it was preferable to think that was the case, than to entertain the many whispering fears that lurked at the back of his mind, whispers that grew louder the longer they went without so much as a clue as to where the Rogue could have gone. “Still, have you considered that he’s just trying to get a rise out of you? Or pay you back for your words?” _No,_ he answered his own question even as Vex bristled, and to be honest he had already known the answer even before he asked, because as petty and mischievous as the half-elf could be at times, he went out of his way to make sure that he never pushed his twin too far, and this went way beyond that.

“He…”

     Her protest died unfinished as Trinket who had been quietly settled beside her, stirred with a low growl, lumbering to all fours, and she whirled to see what had caught his attention, coming up short at the sight of the young boy who had clearly been heading towards them, only to freeze as the bear moved. He was human and poorly dressed, one of the many children that lived on the streets then – although these days there was no way to tell if they were locals, or refugees seeking shelter. She guessed that he must be early teens at oldest, the weary wariness in his eyes reminding her painfully of her twin during his earliest days in the city.

“Trinket,” she cautioned, frowning when her companion growled again. Normally, he would listen to her, and he usually had a soft spot for children, and she had relied on his instincts enough times to know that something was wrong, and her eyes narrowed as she turned her attention back to the boy. “What do you want?” Her voice cracked out like a whip, and she saw the boy flinch, before he glanced down, drawing her attention to the small box in his arms. “What is it?” She struggled to soften her voice, even though every part of her was screaming that she was wasting time that could be spent searching for Vax, and she ignored Scanlan’s scolding look.

“I-I was told to give y-you this.” The boy’s voice cracked and broke, telling her that he was probably younger than she had thought, and it was enough to make stop her from pointing out that he hadn’t really answered her questions. She patted Trinket on the shoulder as she passed, a silent order to stay put, and this time he obeyed, although there was still a rumbling noise and she was startled to realise that his attention was riveted on the box, beady eyes locked on it with the focus he usually only gave his food. And there was a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach as she stepped forward and held out her hand, silently demanding, even though she was hit by a sudden premonition that she wasn’t going to like what was in the box.

     The boy surrendered it without a fight, backing away as though ready to flee, only to find his escape blocked by Scanlan who had moved around while he was distracted. On his own, the Gnome might not have looked so intimidating, but apparently, he had also picked up on the fact that something was wrong here, and Bigby’s hand was looming over him, ready to reach out and grab the boy if necessary, and that was enough to make the boy freeze in place.

    Satisfied that he wasn’t going anywhere, Vex turned her attention to the box in her hands. It was a simple wooden box, clearly handmade by unskilled hands, but more importantly, it wasn’t locked, and with a last glance at the boy, she opened it. A roaring noise filled her ears, and it she nearly dropped the box as she saw what lay inside, and she was only distantly aware of Trinket appearing at her elbow, supporting her as she trembled, even as he nudged the box with his snout and made a mournful noise.

_Vax…_

“Vex? Vex?!” Scanlan’s voice finally broke through the haze that had settled over her thoughts, and she blinked before looking up at her, swallowing against the bile in the back of her throat, and she wondered what her expression must’ve shown because he was hesitant as he asked. “What’s in it?”

    Her fingers trembled in a way that they hadn’t since the first time she had fired her bow at a living person, and it was only Trinket’s presence that let her scoop up the box’s contents and hold them up so that he could see them. There was a clump of dark hair, and she had to bite back a sob as she looked at it. How many times had she yanked her brother’s hair when he irritated her? How many times had she seized hold of it to stop him from escaping? Yet, she had never done anything like this – rage starting to build beneath the numbness as she took in the dried blood, the evidence that this had been cruelly ripped out. However, it was the other item in the box that had her heartbreaking – and she was shaking as her fingers curled around the familiar earring, the one link she’d prayed they’d still had, even after the days without an answer.

“Is that…?” Scanlan whispered, recognising it too and paling. They had all been hoping that eventually, they would get an answer. That Vax wherever he was, and whatever had happened, would find a way to reach out to them, and that hope had just been crushed.

“They tore it out,” Vex hated how cold and clinical she sounded, but she needed that detachment, that distance right now, otherwise she was going to fall apart. It didn’t make it any easier to look at the earring and see the blood, and skin, the proof that her brother hadn’t removed it of his own free will.

The proof that he had been taken.

    Her fingers curled around it, and she brought it and the hair to her chest, holding them close. She had thought that there would be relief at having a clue about her brother, at having proof that he hadn’t just walked away and was ignoring her. There wasn’t… oh, there was relief to know that he was still out there, the emptiness easing just a little. But the stronger feeling was terror, because this meant that Vax was hurt. That her brother wasn’t going to be coming back to them on his own, and yet so far their efforts had got them nowhere, and now she knew that he was being hurt, that time wasn’t on their side, it was a thousand times worse, and she turned on the boy, her voice sharper than before.

“Where did you get this?”

“Vex,” Scanlan interjected, holding out a hand as he realised that the boy looked ready to bolt, even if that meant facing him and the spectral hand behind him. Not that he could blame him, he thought as he took in the terrifying expression on Vex’s face, feeling a little like bolting himself.  However, that wasn’t an option if they wanted to find Vax and he took a deep breath, imaging Pike in full armour standing between him and the angry half-elf as he admonished her.  “You’re scaring him.” That seemed to break through the cold rage, and she blinked, guilt flicking across her face as she gestured for Trinket to move back as he had lumbered forward as she’d spoken, and he smiled, trying to look as reassuring and unthreatening as possible as he turned back to the small boy.  “Can you tell us who gave you this? It’s very important that we find them.”

“They gave me a gold piece to bring it over…” It was pocket change to Vox Machina, but they could see that the amount meant everything to this scrawny boy.

“Can you see the person who gave it to you?” Scanlan asked, fishing in his pouch and bringing out a gold coin, ignoring Vex’s sideways look, knowing that she would rather have just demanded the answers from the boy. Pale blue lit up at the sight of the coin, and he fought the urge to shake his head, before lifting an eyebrow, and the boy turned pink before glancing around, eyes darting across the crowded marketplace. It seemed almost too brief, but Scanlan had seen Vax do the same thing often enough and knew that life out here taught them to recognise things with the briefest of glances, which is why he trusted it when the boy shook his head a moment later, shoulders slumping. “Then what did they look like?”

“He was human, tall…” He paused and glanced at Vex, before wrinkling his nose. “Older than you, but not old?”

“Have you seen him before?”

“A couple of times, usually around the some of the rougher areas. We tend to stay away from him because he’s dangerous… but he offered coin, and…”

“You were hungry,” Scanlan finished for him, tossing him the coin even before the boy nodded. “I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for him. If you see him visiting a place more than once come and find me at the keep or leave a message at Gilmore’s Glorious Goods on Abdar's Promenade if it’s useful there will be more coin coming your way.” He prayed that they wouldn’t need to wait for that kind of information, but it was better to cover their bases, and with a casual gesture he banished the hand, and stepped aside, letting the boy leave, which he did with a wary glance at Vex and Trinket.

“Scanlan…”

“He was a messenger, nothing more Vex.”

“I know,” Vex whispered, and he blinked realising that what he had thought was anger, was something rawer, and more painful as she glanced down at the precious items pressed closely to her chest. “Scanlan, they….” Her voice trailed off, and he saw her eyes going blank, and he cursed as he darted forward, unsurprised when her knees buckled. Thankfully, Trinket seemed willing to let him close, although not without a warning rumble as he moved to allow the Gnome to reach her.

“Vex? Vex!” Like this, he was practically on a level with her, and he reached out to grab her cheeks, patting them lightly before cupping her face. It took a few minutes, and more than one repetition before she blinked and seemed to focus on him, and he let out a sigh of relief, although he didn’t miss the fact that her breathing was still to fast, her gaze still a little unfocused, as he forced a shaky smile for her sake. “There you are.” The words seemed to take a moment to penetrate whatever haze gripped her, but then she nodded shakily, and he turned business-like, knowing that they didn’t have any time to waste and that it would help her more than reassurances and comfort would right now.  “Come on, we’re going to get the others here, and then we’re going to get Vax back.”

_Please, don’t let that be a lie…_

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

    There was a hand on his cheek as he roused from the daze he’d sunk into, and Vax flinched back, bracing himself for pain, only to falter as warm fingers curled against his skin. It hurt, brushing against swollen skin, but even as hazy as he was, he could tell that touch was meant to be gentle, and it was such a shock after everything that his eyes flew open. The world was a blur for a minute, the light burning his eyes, but it didn’t matter because he would recognise the face in front of him under any circumstance. Slowly. Almost afraid to believe what he saw he traced the dark hair, that was neatly tied into a braid that hung over one shoulder, blinking as he saw the blue feathers, and his expression crumpled as she touched his cheek again, thumb running over damaged skin with a tenderness he knew that he didn’t deserve and he shattered. Because she was here, and the words when they came were on the swell of a ragged sob.

“Vex, please…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” His voice cracked and broke, and he descended into broken, rambling apologies, desperate for her to understand how sorry he was. _Get out. Useless. Unwanted._ The mantra was still there, the words refusing to leave him be, even as Vex frowned at him, and he was sobbing in earnest now, pleading for forgiveness, even as he leant into her touch. _Please, I want to come home…_ He hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but he must have, because his sister stiffened and looked at him, her expression unreadable.

“Vax.” Hearing her say his name, was like music to his ear and he fought to control his sobs, to listen to what she was saying. Willing to do anything if it meant he could go home. “I’m not here for you.” The words were soft, delivered without anger or hate, and somehow far more painful because of it, and he flinched, desperately blinking against the fresh sting in his eyes.

“Please…”

     There was anger now. It burned brighter than her rage when she’d told him to ‘get out’, and he couldn’t help but flinch at the sight of it, but he couldn’t look away, because the fingers that had been so gentle before had shifted. Dragging across his aching face, leaving trails of fire as her nails caught bruises and cuts as she moved to grip his chin. “We’re not coming for you Vax; you should get used to that idea.” The anger hadn’t bled into her voice, it was as soft, and emotionless as before and he shook his head, trying to pull away. However, she refused to let him go, her grip moving beyond painful now, and he couldn’t’ stop the pitiful noise that rose at the back of his throat…

    Starting awake, the noise becoming a strangled scream as a hand gripped his shoulder and squeezed tightly. It burned. A sickening fire that spread and spread with each gasping breath, until he was jack-knifing, fighting against the chains and whoever was holding him in place, a madness taking hold, even as some distant part of him knew that he was making it worse. It had reached a crescendo, pushing him towards an invisible edge, a precipice that he half feared, half welcomed at this point, his vision growing darker when the hand disappeared. It didn’t take the pain with it, and Vax went limp, slumping against the chains and causing himself fresh pain, his head falling to rest against his cheeks, as he struggled to breathe, chest rising and falling raggedly. Each breath burned in his chest, stark against the chill that had swept through his body, and he squeezed his eyes shut, even as he felt dampness on his cheek.

    _No more,_ he wanted to say. To beg, plead, and scream until this was over, but the words wouldn’t come. All he could do was hang there, broken, Vex’s words echoing in his head, and pray for the darkness to take him.

He wasn’t even given that mercy.

    The fire in his chest was beginning to subside when fingers gripped his chin again, and there was no comfort to be found in the fact that it was less biting than before, unable to swallow back the low whine that bubbled up as his head was tilted upwards. A flat, mocking laugh greeted the sound, and some deeply buried flicker of stubbornness reared its head, and Vax tried to rear back out of his grip, a broken groan tearing itself free from the movement. He had nowhere to go though, and the fingers immediately turned bruising, and he had a throwaway thought about what his face must look like now before his attention was caught by the rank breath against his face. He smelt ale on his tormentor’s breath, and it brought a new spark of fear, because alcohol on top of anger, spelt disaster, and he was bracing himself for more pain, waiting for the first blow to land, knowing that there was nothing he could do.

“Well…” Despite the strong smell of booze, the words were clear and focused, sending a shiver through him. “It seems that you might not be as worthless as you seemed.”

“What…?” Vax cut himself off, not wanting to breathe life into the hope that had tried to rise at the words. _Are they coming for me?_ It had been a nightmare, he’d realised now, an illusion of his twin conjured through his pain and exhaustion, and despite his best attempts, he could feel something warm settling into his chest. _Please…_

     Despite his attempts to prepare himself for it earlier, the blow when it came was a surprise, a gut punch that had him doubling over, wheezing and spluttering, and reeling back towards the earlier precipice. However, it wasn’t enough to block out the man’s voice, the words managing to pierce through the haze that had descended over him. “Are you still clinging to the hope they’d come for you?” Another harsh bark of laughter had him flinching, wishing that he could lift his hands to block out the words, but he was trapped, unable to do anything but hang there and listen, fighting to catch his breath and ride out the pain of the blow. “They refused our second offer to return you, so we were forced to look elsewhere, and it turns out that are more than a few parties that are interested in getting their hands on you.”

     Vax lifted his head at that, staring blearily at the man. _Who…?_ His thoughts were hazy, unfocused, unable to focus on anything beyond the fact that his friends, his family… _his twin_ had refused to come for him again. Some distant part of him knew that he should be more worried about who would be willing to pay for him, aware that he had made some enemies in his time, and that Vox Machina had made even more, but he didn’t care. _They’re not coming for me,_ it hurt more than any of the injuries that had been inflicted on him, and he let his head fall again.

He was done.

_Get out. Useless. Unwanted_

     He couldn’t escape the man’s voice so easily, unable to do anything but listen as he outlined his plans for an auction where he was going to be the top prize. _Unwanted._  He would have let it wash over him, lacking the will to fight it anymore, but he wasn’t even allowed to embrace his defeat, as fingers bit into his hair, yanking his head back. “Look at me.” As defeated as he was, Vax heeded the menace in those words, lifting his eyes to meet to a calm gaze, shivering under it. “Until you’re bought and paid for, you’re mine, and you’ve inconvenienced us greatly.”

    Vax was still for a moment, incredulity breaking through the haze and the defeat, a low chuckle escaping, that inched closer to hysterical as he saw the shock that greeted his laughter, and madness seemed to grip him at that moment.

“I…inconvenienced…you?” He demanded between chuckles, voice little more than a breathless wheeze, shaking his head as words failed him. _Inconvenience?_ He could feel the word sinking in, joining the mantra still murmuring in the back of his thoughts, and he laughed, a raw, aching, broken sound in the back of his throat. “That’s rich.” There was blood in his mouth he realised, whether from an old injury or that fresh blow, he wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care, feeling almost feverish in his amusement as he lifted his head and spat at his tormenter. Blood splattered across the man’s face, and there was a pause, and he wasn’t sure which of them was more stunned by his actions.

It turned out to be the calm before the storm.

     With a snarl that should have terrified him, but instead only leant fuel to the wild laughter still gripping him, the grip on his hair tightened, tearing some of it and bringing tears to his eyes. Still, he laughed, unable to do anything else now and that seemed to be the breaking point as with a roar his head was slammed viciously into the wall behind him. His laughter breaking off, as the force of the blow dazed him, teeth catching his lip and tearing into them, filling his mouth with blood. But he wasn’t given a chance to recover, because the anger that had always remained restrained before was unleashed without mercy, the restraints meaning that he had no way of defending himself as the blows rained down.

     Whereas before the man had been careful to avoid anything too damaging, there was no control this time, no mercy. Vax had thought that it was impossible for him to be in any more pain than he already was, but he had been wrong. He wasn’t sure how many hits had landed before he screamed, but the sound only seemed to spur the man on, and he felt his nose break under the next punch that landed, blood gushing down his face. He couldn’t remain silent now, it hurt too much, but he didn’t beg, and at some point, between an elbow that clipped the corner of his eye, splitting the skin and sending him spiralling towards unconsciousness, and another gut punch, he chuckled again.

_It looks like you won’t have to worry about me any longer, Vex…_

****

    The earring the boy had brought them was still clutched in her hand, so tightly that it had left a deep imprint on her hand and Vex that it would never fade. Because she deserved to have, that reminder etched into her skin, to be reminded of what her words had wrought. _Vax._ She couldn’t remember the journey home beyond the fact that Scanlan and Trinket had been there, the former keeping up a steady stream of words that at first, she’d thought was meant to be encouragement, but at some point, she’d realised that they were helping him to hold himself together too. It had helped to know that she wasn’t alone in her fear. No, her terror about what might be happening to her brother as they looked in the wrong places and hoped that Vax would come back.

_They hurt him._

_They took him from me._

At some point, her fear and grief had shifted, becoming a deep, burning rage. And it was that emotion that dominated now as she whirled away from where she had been stood, staring out across the city. “We’re wasting our time here.” Her voice cracked out like a whip, interrupting the quiet, fervent discussions that had been raging behind her as her friends turned startled eyes in her direction, and she felt a small pang of guilt. She knew that they weren’t to blame and that they were doing everything they could to help find her brother, but it wasn’t enough, and with the proof of what had been done to her brother lying in her hand, she couldn’t take the words back.

“We can’t just tear the city apart,” Keyleth was the first to speak, voice soft and tinged with exhaustion, from where she had been stretching out, doing what she could with her magic to try and find some sign of where Vax might be being kept.

“Why not?”

“Darling.” She had been keeping Percy at arm’s length since returning, not sure how to handle the fact that their words – justified at the time – had pushed Vax into harm’s way, but now he drew close, stepping into her space. She didn’t stop him, but she didn’t welcome him either, standing limp in his hold as he wrapped his arms around her. “We’re going to find him, and we’re going to make those that took him pay, but we can’t just cause wanton destruction. I know that you know that too.”

    She did, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear. It was agony knowing that her brother had been taken and that he had been injured. _Tortured,_ her mind added with cold certainty, and finally, she moved, trying to escape that thought as she leant into him, pressing her face against him. “They hurt him, Percy. They’re probably still hurting him…” She refused to think of the other alternative, but it didn’t stop her from clutching at Percy, holding him close. _Vax._

“I know,” he replied, voice bleak. “And we will return the favour.”

**

     Vex had never been as comfortable in the city as her brother, although Emon had come to hold a special place in her heart, and she resented the fact that now as she moved through it, that feeling was being tainted by the knowledge that someone within it had taken her brother. And that someone within its walls had Vax, or at least knew where it was. At least she was reasonably sure that he was still within Emon, the messenger a sign that they clearly wanted something from them. _But why not demand something?_ She thought, reaching up to grip the earring that now hung from a leather thong around her neck, one of Vax’s hairs twisted around it. Beside her, Trinket lifted his head at the gesture, rumbling mournfully at her, before moving ahead, his nose to the wind.

     They had ventured further than before, heading out beyond the walls and moving into the unfamiliar twisting, narrow streets and meandering alleyways of the slums. The others had tried to dissuade her, pointing out that she had no evidence that Vax was out here, and the fact that Vox Machina had been targeted indicated the perpetrators had resources. And that meant money too, which meant that they were unlikely to be out this far, and part of her knew that they had a point. But she had to be sure, and so far, none of their leads or inquiries had turned up the slightest hint of where her brother could be, and she had been going stir crazy at the Keep and wandering the streets that she had spent so much time in with her brother.

   Vax would have liked this place, she thought, paying no mind to the people that shrank back at the sight of the large armoured bear with her. Percy had managed to calm her temper a little, but she wasn’t making allowances for anyone until she had her brother back, besides Trinket was an excellent deterrent against the pickpockets and worse that she knew called these streets home. It was like a maze down here, and she could imagine her brother sneaking through the streets, taking advantage of the sharp corners, and twisting, obstructed views. It hurt to think about that, and she had to turn away when she found her gaze lingering on a pair of children who had darted past her. Fleeing from the heaving, panting form of a stocky man who was waving a makeshift axe at them, the pair who were clearly siblings, pulling each other along, the brother ignoring his sister’s pleas for a rest as he pulled her up onto a roof just before the man caught up with them.

_Vax, where are you…?_

*

     She wasn’t sure how long she had wandered the streets. Her enquiries meeting blank stares, and frightened silence for the most part and those that had replied had known nothing or muttered vague possibilities that she knew would be more dead ends. Deep down she knew that the others had been right, and yet she was reluctant to turn back, because it would be like admitting defeat, and would leave her as empty-handed as before, and yet she found herself curving back in the direction of where the walls of the city loomed on the horizon.

“VEX!” She had just turned onto the road that led up to the gates, when the sudden shout had her whirling around, one hand reaching for her bow as Trinket growled a challenge beside them. Both pausing as they found Keyleth running towards her, feathers still receding from her features, telling Vex how she had managed to find her out here.  “Vex, we’ve found something!”

“Vax?” She tried not to let herself hope.

“A lead,” Keyleth replied reaching her, eyes softening as Vex couldn’t hide her disappointment. She’d know that it was too much to hope for, but it was still a crushing blow, especially after her own fruitless efforts. However, they’d had leads before, and none had caused this kind of reaction, and she tried to focus on that.

“What lead?”

“Someone broke into the Keep,” Keyleth held up a hand as Vex swelled with rage. First Vax, and now her home? “Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for us, Grog caught them.  But they’re claiming that they know you and Vax and that they’d come to verify that he had been taken.”

“How did they know?” Vex demanded, already breaking into a jog as she headed for the gate, forcing Keyleth to chase after her in order to reply. It wasn’t the hope that she’d wanted, but a lead… a real lead was more precious than anything right now, and she was terrified that if she didn’t hurry, then it would slip through her fingers too.

“They refused to say, claiming that they would only speak to you,” Keyleth replied catching up with her, only to let out a surprised noise as Vex seized her wrist, pulling her up onto Trinket’s back, the bear letting out a grumble as they settled in. She barely had time to wrap her arms around Vex’s waist, realising what was about to happen, before the bear broke into a lumbering lope. Part of her wanted to protest the pace, but there was a tension in Vex that told her the words wouldn’t be well received, so all she could do was hold on, and hope that this lead was going to be worth it, not sure what her friend would do if it were. Not sure what any of them would do if it were another false lead.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

He hadn’t been granted the reprieve of death.

    Vax had lost consciousness between one blow and the next, and he wasn’t sure how long he’d floated in the darkness, trapped within the confines of his broken body. The pain hadn’t released him even in unconsciousness, and even as his mind drifted, caught between swirling thoughts of his twin, his friends, and the feelings of failure that had dug their claws into him so deeply now that it felt as though he would never be free of them, he was aware of his injuries. Each ragged breath, sending fire through the haze that gripped his mind, and it felt to him as though his body was splintering around him, leaving him adrift in an ocean of pain as his physical form seemed to dissolve around him. His eyes burns, a wordless plea on his tongue with nowhere to go.

_Please, just let it end…_

    It didn’t. Instead, the darkness around him seemed to lighten, and with it came a fleeting, drifting awareness of the world around him. There was noise somewhere beside him, and he instinctively flinched as memory returned of what he’d been facing before, bracing himself for the next blow and immediately regretting it, as abruptly he was reminded that his body hadn’t dissolved. It was like every nerve and muscle in his body had come to life at once, screaming in agony, and he was screaming with it. Or at least he was trying to, but the only sound that reached his ears through the fog was a terrible, broken gurgling noise, and it was only when he swallowed, even that hurting his throat and the sound cut off with a warble, that he realised he was the one making the noise. It didn’t silence him though, the noise building again in the back of his throat, because the pain was relentless, lancing through with rising force as the world came back into focus.

“Silence.” A hand appeared across his mouth, muffling the noise and Vax blinked at the sensation, trying to flinch away as it pressed down, fear gripping him. Had he survived all that, just to die from being smothered? But there was nowhere for him to go, and the movement had reignited his injuries, and he bucked against the hand, screaming, tears blurring his vision as he tried to see what was holding him down. Or maybe it wasn’t tears, because his right eye wasn’t opening, he realised, leaving him blind on one side, and that only increased his fear. Panicking now, choking on his own voice, and tasting copper as he did so, he tried to reach up and claw at the hand holding him down, not caring that it would hurt more, just needing to be free. But his body wouldn’t or couldn’t respond, and as he tried, the damage in his shoulder shifted and grated, and his mind went white with the agony of it, his functioning eye rolling in his head.

    He must’ve passed out again, or at least awareness of the world had faded for a time, because when consciousness returned, the hand was gone from his mouth, and the barest edge had come off the pain that gripped him. He wasn’t stupid enough to try and move again just yet, just focusing on breathing and blinking, still one-eyed, the ceiling slowly coming back into focus above him.

“You shouldn’t have provoked him.” It was the same voice as before, but softer than the harsh order to be silent had been, and Vax blinked, not daring to turn towards the speaker. The person must’ve noticed his reluctance, because there were a frustrated sigh and the sound of shuffling movement, and then a face appeared above him. It was difficult to focus, his vision blurring even with the tears, and he blinked and blinked again, before giving it up as a lost cause. The figure looked human from what he could make out, and male, and from the blurry grey and brown that filled his vision, he guessed that he was wearing the same rough clothing as the rest of his captors. “You’re just lucky that he needed you alive; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, and you would be dead already.”

“L-lucky…?” He managed to force out between bloody lips. It didn’t sound like him, but that was fitting because right now he didn’t feel like him. His body was a throbbing mass of pain, and as his awareness grew and spread, it seemed to intensify. He was on the ground he realised, and distantly he realised that the rock should be cold against his body, especially with his clothing torn and tattered from his rough treatment, but it wasn’t, and he knew that was bad, although he couldn’t work out why. He was also still in the same room as before, the ceiling above him a familiar point of focus even with his unfocused gaze, and he was still chained he realised, registering the weight around his wrists and ankles, as though he could have moved in this state. And he snorted, the same maniacal need to laugh that had got him into trouble before rising once more, but before it could become more than a ragged chuckle, he found himself gasping with pain again, as a fire formed deep in his chest.

“Easy, easy…” It sounded almost like the man regretted what was being to him, an edge to his reassurance that reminded him of Pike when she was trying to heal them but being prevented from doing so either by situation or exhaustion. _Pickle…_ It hurt to think of her, to think of any of them, let alone draw comparisons, and as the urge to laugh was lost amongst the pain, he snarled at the man, the effect ruined by his voice cracking and breaking in the middle.

“What d-do you care?”

    There was a pause, and he wished that he could see clearly as it seemed to him that the man’s expression contorted for a moment, and then he was pulling away, stepping out of the narrow range of Vax’s sight. “I don’t.” It was a lie. Vax had learnt to read people’s voices a long time ago, although apparently, he hadn’t done as good a job of it as he’d thought because his f…Vox Machina’s decision to abandon him to his fate had blindsided him, but still, he was sure that those words had been a lie. “I just thought that you might like to save yourself some unnecessary suffering. I have done all that I’m permitted to do, you will live for now, as long as you don’t provoke him again.”

“I’m s-supposed to be grateful?” Vax demanded, feeling cold at the words. He didn’t doubt that death lay in his future, that was an old realisation, but he had already accepted that. He had accepted that he was going to die in this hellhole, embraced it even, and yet he was still here. Barely breathing, unable to move, and partially blind.

Helpless.

_Useless. Unwanted._

“No, I suppose not.” Sympathy and frustration coloured the words, but not enough to bring the man back to his side, and Vax heard him moving away. “But as long as you’re alive you still have a chance…” The man’s voice had dropped, little more than a whisper that was almost lost against the noise that spilled into the room as he opened the door, but Vax heard them all the same. He wasn’t sure which of them the words had been for, but before he could try and dredge up a reply the man was gone, the door clanging shut behind him, leaving him alone with empty words and a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. _A chance for what,_ he wanted to ask, but there was no one to give him an answer, even his own thoughts deserting him as the haze seeped back.

_I just want this to be over…_

****

     No one dared to speak as Vex pressed the tip of the arrow against the man’s throat, drawing blood as he gulped nervously, hands spread in supplication. It hadn’t been enough to stop her from lunging at him the moment she had set eyes on him after bursting into the room. She’d had the entire trip back to the Keep to work herself back into a frenzy, and then to find herself confronted by a face that she’d hoped to never see again she’d snapped, barely aware of drawing the arrow from her quiver, bow falling forgotten beside her as she went for the kill. Only the fact that he might know where her brother was had stopped her from killing him on sight, but it was a close worn thing, and her voice was little more than a snarl as she leaned in.

“Where. Is. My. Brother?” Behind her Trinket who had lumbered into the room after her, added his voice to each word, punctuating them with low growls that promised violence. Her prisoner made a garbling noise, moving as though to reach towards his throat, only to freeze when her eyes narrowed at the movement.

    In the end, it was Percy, drawing on his courage and the hope that she wouldn’t maim him, that stepped forward and rested his hands on her shoulder. “He can’t answer you like that, Darling.” Vex had tensed at his touch, and he’d been braced to let go and step out of reach when he felt her shudder at the pet name. “Come on, let the man breathe and answer your questions. You can kill him later.” The latter was added to make sure that the man didn’t misunderstand the situation, and think for a moment that Percy or any of Vox Machina would stand in her way if she didn’t like his answers. The nervous swallow that followed told him that the message had been received, and gently he pulled Vex back a few steps before letting go. She had tolerated his touch so far, but she was trembling, quivering with the rage that had gripped her since they’d first received proof that Vax had been taken, and he knew that she was close to breaking point right now.

    The man had pushed himself up, rubbing at his throat, and paling a little bit as his fingers came away bloody. He looked relatively harmless, in ill-fitting leather armour and watching Vex with the eyes of prey that knew that one wrong move would have its predator on it, but Percy wasn’t fooled. There was a confidence to the movements that reminded him of Vax, and he had seen the veritable arsenal that Grog had liberated from their unwelcome guest. He had come prepared, just not for a Goliath who was already on edge after one of his ‘family’ had been attacked, and despite the wariness and apparent fear he was showing now, Percy would guess that he was also calculating escape routes and weighing his options as they watched.

“You haven’t changed at all Vex’ahlia…” Or maybe he was more stupid than Percy had thought, because Vex tensed at the familiar address, and he was amazed that the arrow shaft hadn’t snapped as her grip tightened until her knuckles turned white.

“I could say the same Samis,” Vex’s voice was cold enough that Percy was surprised that they couldn’t see ice crystals forming around her. It was a tone he had only heard a handful of times, and it never been a good sign. However, what caught his attention was Keyleth’s expression as she frowned for a moment, tapping her bottom lip before speaking up hesitantly.

“I know that name…?”

“Vax might have mentioned it,” Vex’s voice thawed just a little as she glanced at her friend. “Back when you removed a certain mark for him.”

“The Clasp?” Keyleth demanded, and when Vex nodded, wind whipped through the room for a moment, and Percy shared a worried look with Scanlan who nodded as he shifted closer to the druid, ready to step in if it looked like her temper was going to get the better of her. She wasn’t as bloodthirsty as Vex, but on the rare occasion she did lose her temper it could be terrifying, and it sounded more and more like the man in front of them might be a useful clue, which meant that he couldn’t be killed yet. However, after a moment Keyleth took a deep breath and the wind settled down, letting them relax, which turned out to be a mistake as there was a rumbling in the ground, and the stone slabs cracked and rose up as thick, spiny vines rose up to tangle around the man. It happened in the blink of an eye, and by the time they’d realised what was happening, the man was fully entangled in the vines, hanging suspended a couple of feet off the ground.

“Much better,” Vex commented, spinning the arrow between her fingers as she prowled closer again, shooting a grateful look at the druid. She had always been surprised that her brother had shared anything about his involvement with the Clasp with Keyleth because in the past he would have conjured up a believable lie, whether to spare her the truth or because secrecy was too ingrained in him to contemplate an honest answer. However, as she watched Samis struggle against the vines, quickly learning that the spikes were not for sure, as blood trickled down his arms, she was glad that Vax had spoken up. “Now,” she closed the distance between them, noting how the vines cleared a little, still holding their prisoner tight, but allowing her to lean in close without injury, as she pressed the tip of the arrow against his throat once more. “Why are you here? And please don’t bother lying to me, believe me when I say, I am not in the mood for your games.” All she could see as she spoke was her brother’s blood on the earring and the hurt in his face when he’d left that day, and her hand jerked, drawing a bloody line across Samis’ throat.

“Careful!” She pressed the arrow closer as he protested but steadied her grip. She couldn’t afford to lose the only clue they had right now through impatience, but she didn’t let that show, meeting his gaze and staring him down. Daring him to test her. She knew that they had magic that could help with this, but that would take more time, which was something that they didn’t have. “I was here to ascertain the truth of an offer the guild received yesterday.”

“What offer?”

“Your brother.” Vex jerked the arrow away at that, before lashing out with her other hand, breaking his nose. “Damn it,” he cursed as blood began to trickle down his face, but he seemed to rethink whatever else he had been about to say as he glimpsed her face. “Well, I can see that they were telling the truth…” For a moment it looked like Vex was going to hit him again, but then she took a deep breath and stepped back, moving back across the room and retrieving the bow she had abandoned in her rush to get to it. Slowly, and with practised ease, she set the already bloodied arrow against the string and took aim at his knee.

“Tell me about this offer.”

     It wasn’t a request, and a quick glance at the others in the room confirmed that none of them would stop her, and Samis hesitated for all of a moment before sighing and letting his head fall against his chest. “We should have kept you two around,” he muttered, tensing as the bow creaked under her tightening grip, but she didn’t fire, and he lifted his head to look at her once more, wincing as the vines wound tighter around him, spikes pressing deep through his clothes. “If I tell you what I know, and it’s not much, I want your word that you won’t involve us in whatever retribution you end up seeking. They reached out to us, we had no part in this until contacted us, so I want your word.”

“Do you truly think you are in any position to demand promises?” Percy demanded, and he might have said more if Vex hadn’t cleared her throat, shaking her head when he glanced at her. “Darling?”

“A service for a service, you really haven’t changed,” Vex didn’t reply to Percy, her attention on their ‘guest’, the arrow unwavering, as she held his gaze. “I’m surprised the Clasp hasn’t taken your head by now.”

“As am I.”

“If,” she stressed the word, Trinket growling behind. “Your information is correct and useful, and I find no evidence that you or the Clasp played a part on this, I will let you go this time.” They both knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t promise more, and he didn’t waste his breath asking, instead considering her choice of words. Not missing that she had distinguished him from the Clasp in this matter, not through any sense of mercy, but to make sure that he knew his own neck would on the executioner’s block if he lied now.

“Excellent, then we have an agreement,” he declared, hiding his grimace. It wasn’t that he’d intended to withhold the truth, he was smart enough to realise that he wasn’t going to get away with that in this situation, because even if he’d tricked her, there were enough casters in the room that he was sure they had some kind of trick to force the truth from him. It was more that it was going to limit what he did when he got out of here, because, his mind had already been weighing up how to turn the situation to his advantage even if he got her agreement…

    Pain exploded in his knee, and it took him a moment to realise that Vex had fired, eyes wide as he stared at the arrow quivering in his knee. There was a moment, the shock of it numbing him to the pain, but then he sucked in an unsteady breath, and began to curse, as the numbness gave way to a sickening fire that seemed to engulf the entire joint. “What the hell?” He demanded breathlessly, lips pursed to hold back a pained groan as he lifted his head to look at her, unsurprised to find a second arrow already notched. “I thought we had an agreement?”

“We do,” Vex smiled at him, and it wasn’t a nice smile. “But I know you and your ilk, and even if you weren’t involved in this before, you’ll try and twist it to your advantage.”

“I…”

“Don’t lie to me.” The smile was gone, and for a moment, he braced himself for a second arrow as it seemed as though she was seconds away from leasing it. “I will kill you and question your corpse if I have to.” It wasn’t an empty threat; he could see it in her eyes. It was always the eyes that told the truth, it was how you could tell who would kill and who would run when things went bad. It had been eyes that had led him here to find out the truth, as the messenger who had delivered the offer to the guild had barely looked at them, shifting nervously from foot to foot, unable to answer most of their questions.

“That won’t be necessary.” The Clasp might kill him for this if they learned what had transpired here, but that was a game he was used to playing, and one that he at least stood a chance of winning. This wasn’t, because he could feel the vines tightening around him, the spikes pressing deeper in places, adding to the blood soaking into his armour. “I will be more than happy to wash my hands of this entire mess.”

“Then talk.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

    Vax had no idea how long he’d drifted. He remembered surfacing a couple of times, once when someone had come to force water down his throat. Not the man from before. Because the hands were rough, not sparing any thought for his injuries, and he had nearly choked on the water they’d given him, before with a muttered curse he had been yanked upwards. That had roused him, as every injury in his body had come to life, burning and throbbing until it felt as though he was coming apart at the seams. It had been a little easier to drink like that, but even that had burned, and he’d barely eased his parched throat before it was pulled away, the last of the water splashed in his face before he was unceremoniously dropped back to the floor. He’d floated for a while after that, unable to lose consciousness completely, the pain keeping him awake if not alert.

    As he lay there, shivering and barely conscious he allowed his thoughts to drift in an effort to distract himself, both from the pain and the unknown and the creeping, incessant fear that came from the fact that he was still here. That he was somehow worth enough to be kept alive even after all this. _Useless. Unwanted. Get out._ He trembled, curling in on himself, desperately trying to lose himself in a different time.

A happier time.    

_“You do realise he’s going to get bigger?” Vax asked as he studied the bear cub that Vex had so proudly presented to him when he’d slipped into the clearing they had claimed for their own, one hand still resting on the hilt of his dagger that he had grabbed when the creature had first lumbered up behind her. He was already growing, somewhere in the awkward stage between cub and youngling, all massive paws and legs at the moment. He was cute in a way if you could ignore the fact it was a Bear._

_“Of course,” Vex retorted, looking offended as she gently stroked the bear’s head before her eyes zeroed in where he was still holding on to the dagger, and she smirked. “Are you scared brother?”_

_“Of that fuzzball?” Vax drawled, not about to admit that he had been…wary. “Not at all,” he added, nonchalantly as he let his hand fall away, ignoring the way she snorted at his reply._

   _No,_ he broke away from that memory with a gasp. It hurt to think of that time right now because back then he had known without a doubt that Vex would come for him. That there was nothing that could come between the two of them. _And look at us now,_ bitterness coloured that thought, leaving a foul taste of his mouth, and he shifted, gritting his teeth as he rolled onto the back. The effort leaving him gasping, and lightheaded, the world swimming around him, or at least he thought it was, as his vision was still a blur of shapes and colours at the moment.

_“Look how far we’ve come,” Vex was murmuring somewhere above his head, her voice sounding like it was coming from miles away, even though he could feel her hand now, beginning to gently push his hair out of his bloodied face. “We’re not those children fighting for our father’s approval anymore, and we’re not alone. We’re more than just the two of us now, but Vax that doesn’t mean that I don’t need you anymore. I’m always going to need you, so you just need to hold on a little longer for me, all right? Just until Pike and the others get here.”_

_He wanted to reassure that he was holding on and that she was keeping him tethered to the world even as he felt the blood oozing steadily from the gashes in his side, but the words wouldn’t come. His voice failing him along with the rest of his body. It took everything he had, every ounce of strength he could summon up and the last dredges of consciousness that he had been clinging to, to reach out with a shaking hand to grasp hers…_

     Vax jolted, memory and present mixing, as he realised that he had reached out in the latter and that his hand which was shaking worse than it had back then, had just curled around something warm and real.  Instinct had his hand jerking back, moving to protect his face. He didn’t have bothered, because the strike when it came, was at his side. A booted foot colliding forcefully with already damaged ribs, and for a moment the blurry world around him, was replaced with pure white, as everything narrowed down to the explosion of pain in his side. He knew that he must’ve cried out, choking on the sound, and the desperate, wheezing breaths that followed as he curled in on himself, fire spreading through his side and up to his chest as he struggled to draw in air.

_“Breathe! Damnit Vax, don’t you give up on us…”_

     He hadn’t wanted to listen to that voice back then, and he didn’t want to listen to it now, and yet his body obeyed, taking one breath after another until the white receded from his vision and the burning need to breathe eased. The pain ebbed and rose with each ragged breath, and his vision was still as blurry as ever, as he tilted his head to look up at his attacker, lacking the strength to try and lift it off the ground. He couldn’t make out the details, but he didn’t need to, knowing exactly who was standing over him, holding himself as still as possible and hoping that his fear hadn’t bled through into his expression, unsure if he could even stop it at this point.

“…your lesson…” Belatedly he realised the man was talking to him, voice a low growl, the rage that had nearly killed him the day before still simmering beneath the surface. Rage he was familiar with. How many times had he used it to goad his opponents into giving him an opening? How often had he witnessed what Grog could achieve when he was caught in the haze of rage? It was a weapon, one that he didn’t need an able body to wield. A few words. The wrong tone. And he knew that his tormentor would forget about his worth again, and maybe this time he would finish the job so that no healer could patch him together.

     It was more tempting than he cared to admit, and his mouth was open, even before his mind was close to working out what he wanted to say when another voice echoed through his thoughts. _But as long as you’re alive, you still have a chance._ He faltered. He didn’t want to listen to the words, to the man who had healed him and brought him back to this hell, and yet there was something, some last shred of strength and defiance that stopped him. Forcing back the words he wanted to spit at the man towering over him, instead leaving him mute. _Why? Why am I trying to hold? There is no chance… they’re not coming,_ he still believed that. A deep, aching knowledge that had taken root in his heart, but despite that the words wouldn’t come, and the only sound he managed to make was a low, broken groan, that was somehow deafening in the silence.

    Not as deafening as the harsh bark of laughter that greeted the defeated noise, the sound making him flinch and gasp, but not as much as the sound of the booted feet moving right alongside him. Then there were hands in his hair, hauling him up roughly and for a moment his thoughts wavered, torn between past and present again, as he remembered all the times that Vex had done the same to stop him fleeing when he had pranked her. It was a painful parallel, and added to the stinging in his eyes, as his head was pulled back to an almost impossible angle, leaving him gasping and struggling to breathe again. This close he could almost make out the hated features of the man’s face, nose wrinkling as foul breath washed over him.

“Not so defiant now, are we.” The hand not holding his hair, moving to tweak one of his abused ears and Vax could only whimper, the pain sharp enough to break through the general haze of agony. The noise only seemed to feed his tormenter, as the tweaking, became a sudden, violent twist, that tore a bloody, broken scream from his lips despite his best efforts to hold it back. Then he was falling, as the hands holding him disappeared, leaving him to crumple to the ground, every one of his injuries screaming to life once more, and tipping him back towards the edge of consciousness. “Let’s hope you remain that way, as I would hate to deprive our bidders of the display they are expecting…” Vax heard the words, and he something tugged at the edge of his thoughts, but he lacked the energy or care to try and make sense of it through the pain.

     Instead, all he could do was lie there, the world crumbling away as he listened to the man moving away, tasting fresh blood on his lips. And drifting away again, all he could feel was regret.

_I should have said something…_

****

    Vex tasted blood as she all but bolted from the room, lifting a trembling hand to her lips and realising that she had bitten hard enough to make herself bleed in her attempts to stop herself from murdering Samis. Even now, the temptation to turn back, and put her arrow through his throat was high, and it was harder than she cared to admit, to keep herself moving in the opposite direction. In the end, it was the knowledge that Keyleth wouldn’t let him escape that allowed her to resist the urge to turn back, but it was a close won battle, because while he might not have participated in her brother’s capture and whatever else they had been doing to him since he didn’t care. Unflinching and still looking for a way to turn the current situation to his advantage, even as he had ‘dutifully’ filled them in on what he knew.

_“They’re offering Vax’ildan to the highest bidder…”_

    He said it in the same tone that one might comment on the weather, as though he wasn’t talking about a person. As though he wasn’t talking about her brother. She’d marked him for that. A deep cut that ran the length of his face, one that would scar, if she allowed him to live after this.   _Vax, what have you got yourself into?_ Her face crumpled, the mask that she hadn’t allowed to crack once during the interrogation now threatening to splinter, and she sped up, needing to get as far away from the others before it fell completely. She knew that they wouldn’t judge her, but she couldn’t let them see that weakness. She couldn’t afford to be weak. At least not until she had Vax back at her side. And, so she fled, wishing that it was easy to escape her whirling, panicked thoughts, and the memory of the conversation she had walked away from.

_“Then talk…”_

_She was aware of the others straightening around them, sensing their eagerness for the hunt to come, and yet it still felt distant. She knew they cared, that they wanted to find Vax as much as she did, but it was hard to feel that in heart, especially when it felt as though half of her was missing along with her twin. And so, she couldn’t bring herself to look towards them, instead keeping her gaze locked on Samis, tapping the arrow meaningfully against her arm when she felt that he was taking too long to start._

_“A few months ago, we had some trouble with some of the newer members of the Clasp,” Samis had apparently realised that he wasn’t going to be given any leeway here, although she still wanted to snarl at him when he didn’t immediately move to tell her about her brother. Only the fact that they needed to know everything making her hold her tongue for the time being. “They were pushing our rules, causing trouble with other groups and keeping profits to themselves, and eventually they were banished.”_

_“You didn’t kill them?” Vex knew that she and Vax were unusual in their successful escape from the Clasp’s grasp on them, and she knew that there was more to it when Samis scowled, pinpricks of colour forming in sallow cheeks._

_“They had…high up connections.” Family. Even in the Clasp, the notion of family had held some sway – it was how they had managed to get their claws so firmly into her brother after all, and she filed that away to use later. They had threatened her family. She would return the favour. “And their methods, while against the rules, were profitable and it was hoped that with time they would be brought back into the fold. However, until a couple of days, we had heard nothing from them, all missives having gone ignored, and the last messenger having been returned in pieces.”_

_“So, what changed?”_

_“They claimed that they had an offer for us, one that they didn’t think we would want to ignore and we were invited here to meet with them,” Samis shifted. Wincing as he caught himself on the thorns, and for a moment it looked as though he was about to ask if he could be released, however, when he met her gaze he seemed to reconsider, shoulders slumping. “So, a delegation, including me, were sent to Emon – to discover what this offer was, open talks if possible, or…”_

_“End things if that failed?” Vex finished with him, already knowing the answer even as she phrased it as one. “And what does that have to do with my brother?” She demanded, her admittedly limited patience waning._

_“He was the offer, or rather the option to obtain him was.”_

_“What?” Vex knew that she wasn’t the only one to ask, but she couldn’t work out who else had spoken over the roaring sound that had filled her ears, gaze locked on their prisoner. Samis looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but there, and she almost admired his courage when he straightened as best, he could in the restraints and met her gaze._

_“They’re offering Vax’ildan to the highest bidder…” Samis replied evenly. “From what the messenger yesterday said, we weren’t the only interested party to be brought in. In fact, it sounded like they had done their research on your entire group and targeted anyone who would have an interest in striking back at Vox Machina._

_“They’re planning on selling my brother?” Vex asked, voice eerily calm as she moved towards him, and he shrank back, but there was nowhere to go. There was also no point in lying at this point, and he nodded mutely, noting that none of the others was making a move to stop her as she closed the distance between them. “They’re planning on letting you bid for my brother’s life, and you came here willing to do just that?” She wasn’t sure what the bubble of emotion rising in her chest was – there was rage, an incandescent fury that had her vision blurring, the arrow creaking in her grip. There was also guilt and grief that their misunderstanding had led to this._

_And there was terror._

_Because this was worse than she had imagined. The Clasp being involved was one thing, that was an enemy that they knew, and one she was confident they could defeat. It was the thought that there were others out there that would leap at this chance to get their hands on their brother that had her quivering, her stomach twisting itself in knots because they had made plenty of enemies in their time as Vox Machina. Enemies that were far more worrying than the Clasp, and she was almost relieved when Samis continued before she could get too caught up on that thought. Almost…._

_“I came to ascertain if they really had him, after all, it seemed unlikely considering the stories about you and your friends,” Samis noted the guilty expression that flickered across her features and the way the others shifted uneasily. “It might not have been the offer we were expecting or looking for, but it wasn’t one we could ignore, especially after how you parted ways with us.” He knew even as the words left his lips that it had been a mistake, but he couldn’t take it back, and he couldn’t escape the blow when it came, crying out as the arrow tore his face open before splintering._

    That had been when she had bolted, snarling at the others to find out where Vax was being held, knowing that if she remained in the room a moment longer, then she might well kill him as rage clouded her vision. She had wanted to stay. To tear the answers out of him with her own two hands so that she could find her brother, but she didn’t trust herself at that moment. No, that was a lie. She hadn’t trusted herself since the moment she’d realised the impact that her words had, had on her brother, and she wouldn’t, not until she had him back and had apologised, although whether he would forgive her or not was another question.

     Perhaps that was why her feet had led her down to Percy’s workshop, back to where all this had started, her vision blurring, and for a moment all she could see was her brother’s slumped shoulders and defeated expression as he slinked away. Her hand reaching out unbidden, a cruel reminder of what might have happened if she’d just reached out back then, and it fell back halfway, as a sob rose in her throat.

_Vax, I promise you, we will get there first._

****

    He was being moved, Vax realised, as some of the grey haze began to recede from his mind. He had lost himself for a time, but now the feeling of rough hands moving him into position was forcing him back into the confines of his body. The pain of it had him gasping, and trembling, leaving him pliant even as fresh pain journeyed from the agonising, swollen mess that was his shoulder, and down both arms as they were wrenched behind him and bound tighter than before. His ankles were being rebound too he realised, although with slightly more room for movement than before and for half a second he considered kicking out, and perhaps something had shown in his expression because a hand clamped down on his shoulder and he howled in agony. Only to find the sound was muffled, as another filthy cloth was forced into his mouth and tied in place, leaving him gagging on the taste, and unable to protest as he was hauled up onto his knees.

     His vision was a little better than it had been earlier, the rest – if you could call it that, having done that much for him at least, leaving him able to focus his gaze on his chief tormentor who stepped up in front of him.  A tremor working its way through his body, as he realised that there were two other men with them, both heavily armed – as though he posed a threat in this state. And as much as he wanted to look at them properly, wondering if his ‘healer’ was one of them, he didn’t dare take his eyes off the man in front of him, The simmering rage from before had been pulled back beneath the surface, with only the faintest hint of it in the eyes locked on him.

    That was a bad sign, and he didn’t dare move. Not that he felt capable of it, already beginning to list to the side, his body close to giving in on him completely. His breath catching as the hands that had caused him so much pain already reached out, noticing the thick, hempen rope in them just before he felt it being twined around his neck. It was looped a couple of times, and it took him a moment to realise that it had been tied in such a way that when the rope hung slack between him and his captor, it didn’t press too tight. That relief was short-lived though, as, with a violent jerk, the rope was pulled taut. It burned against already bruised skin, his yelp muffled against the gag and for a moment he couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. _Was this it? Was this how he was going to die?_ Then there was another sharp tug, one that demanded his attention, as did the harsh words that followed.

“Move, or we’ll drag you through the dirt…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview:
> 
> “No,” Percy just lifted an eyebrow in response to her tone, refusing to be drawn into the argument that she was seeking. That wouldn’t help any of them at the moment, least of all her, and he waited until she faltered, seeming to realise what she had said and how he had reacted, before adding quietly. “I’m reminding you that you don’t need to do it alone.” He didn’t waste his breath pointing out that she wouldn’t be doing it alone, because even at her most stubborn, or even in the early days when she had struggled to see beyond herself, Trinket and Vax, she had realised that not everything could be achieved without them. But needing to do it alone was different, and it was a side of her that he hadn’t seen for a while, and new that he needed to nip in the bud, before she rushed into something too big for her to handle alone, endangering herself and perhaps Vax as well.
> 
> “But, I…” Am alone…


End file.
